Category: Interp

Advanced interpretation is not equal to advanced interpers delivering their material in a speech and/or forensics competition. Advanced interpretation is instead marked by subtlety and skill more than by experience. Admittedly, experienced speakers tend to have more skill, but very often they apply that skill in such a way as to emphasize their own largess rather than to expose believable and relatable characters in believable and relatable conflicts. One hallmark of those doing truly advanced work is their ability to differentiate between stereotypes and stock characters.

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Perhaps you’ve seen the new Beauty and Beast film this year. I’m not going to lie; my daughter and I were GRIEVED that Dan Stevens had to be written out of Downton Abbey in order to take on the role of the Beast for this film, but he was perfect! In numerous interviews, he talks about how he had to fuse several technologies in order to get the full role of the Beast layered into the film, and it struck me that this triple-pass to building a character follows the way I often coach kids in building their interpretive characters.

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How well do you really know someone? What’s their story? What’s their background? We are midway through the season… And I want to see competitors fully engaged to their characters in their Interpretive Speeches (this includes Biblical Presentation). At this point competitors should have a sense of who their characters really are. I can tell when one is performing a memorized speech and when one is truly visualizing and understanding each and every character. I want every competitor to bring it to the next level. This is the difference between performing and acting.

Kristi and I have developed a resource to bring your Interp to the next level! Our Character Analysis and Worksheets help competitors really process who their characters are. Warning- research and actual thought process may have to be done.

Let me give you some examples- If you are playing the part of a child with cancer- you may want to visit a hospital with cancer patients. Are you connected and understand what they are going through? If you want a character to have a German accent, you may need to go on YouTube to learn how. If you are trying to develop your character of Wilber, in Charolette’s Web, you may need to dig deep to understand loneliness and what a friend would really mean to you. This may sound over the top, but really understanding and developing your characters is pivotal for a well-rounded piece. For my students, this is what I want them to achieve, I want them to understand what they are trying to represent. This is part of the lesson of being in Speech- understanding people or characters in a whole new way.

Our worksheets bring you through the process of developing YOUR characters. The reason I stress your is because, I should not see the same Interpretation twice. Your development of characters should be unique. If you don’t know who your character is or who they are trying to represent- you need to go through the process of figuring it out. The worksheets will help you with…

Emotional Development

Character Analysis

Background

Physical Development

and more!

Here’s what people have said about our worksheets…

“WOW – The Character Analysis and Worksheets is a super helpful document! I was familiar with the concept of character development, but this fleshed it out so thoroughly! It really does separate those performers who have done the work and those who haven’t. It takes the character from two dimensions to three!” -Parent

“These worksheets helped me develop my characters, so I could really visualize who I wanted them to be.” -Student

“I wish I had these when I started Speech years ago!” -Student

My hope is that at the end of the season, students will have more than just “a Speech”. That they will have accomplished more than just memorizing a piece of literature, a play, script, or section of the bible. My hope is for students to have a deeper understanding of characters and people. That this experience in Speech will impact them, as well their audience, for the rest of their lives.

If you are competing in any Interpretive Speech, creating believable characters is fundamental. Characterization is the vessel for demonstrating your interpretive skills. Our Character Worksheet can help you analyze each individual character. As you create your characters, there are a few specific aspects you should develop. Remember, although there may be a whole book written on your character, you have a time limit. Also, your creativity in the development of characters is ultimately up to you! Have fun! Get to know these people… You're going to spending a lot of time with them! Remember the goal is to make your characters memorable so your judges can tell them apart, as well remember them. Here are some things to consider...

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There have been many benefits since my family got on the wild ride of Speech and Debate. One of those benefits I would like to call The Art of Visualization. I think most of our family has the ability to some degree. “What is it?” you might ask… The Art of Visualization is being able to watch or read something and be able to picture it as a Speech. I ask the students that I coach if they can visualize themselves in a speech. Can they visualize a story, movie, book, etc. as a speech? Let me help you visualize what I’m talking about…

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It's that time in the "pre-season", where some students are starting to feel panicked. "I haven't found my epic piece!" "My research is going no where!" "I hate my topic already!" Or my favorite, "We were supposed to have a piece picked by now?!" I know Practice Tournaments are starting... But take a deep breath... You still have time- plenty of time!

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You picked your piece and really thought about why you wanted it. You’ve made a list of all the parts you want to keep. Perhaps you already know that you have too much to keep all of it. Now….what should you eliminate when you are cutting it?

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Every work of literature is made up of five literary elements. You may have had an English teacher that made you study these ad nauseam! (I may have been that English teacher!) But these five mechanisms make any story work. They affect the reader or audience in specific ways. They are manipulated by the author to specific purpose. Understanding what they are and how they work helps you make a good cut for your interp.

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Cutting your interp piece can be a DAUNTING task. There simply are not that many scripts out there designed for 10 minute presentations, so chances are, you are holding a book that you need to squeeze down into just 10 minutes. Where do you begin?

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